Newtown Township BOS — October 22, 2025 Meeting Recap

2026 Budget Presentation

The Manager’s Proposed Budget outlines fund structure, department operations, and capital priorities amid rising costs. A structural deficit (~$3.23M) is covered with fund balance rather than a general real estate tax hike, while targeted increases support Fire Protection and Rescue Squad services.

• Total budgeted revenue (2026): $18,916,917 (includes an estimated $5.2M 2025 year-end fund balance).
• Structural deficit (’26): ≈ $3,231,000 covered with fund balance.
• Projected fund balance (end of ’26): ≈ $2,059,000 (~12.21% of expenditures; policy minimum is 10%).

Targeted Millage (Proposed)

Staffing & Cost Pressures

• New positions: Full-time IT Director; part-time HR Director.
• Rising costs: Insurance (+15%), healthcare (+7%), workers’ comp (+10%).
• Unfunded requests (not included): Additional Police/Fire/Public Works staff; full-time Zoning & Code Enforcement Director; full-time HR Director.
• Salary line Q&A highlights: Some decreases tied to attrition and replacements starting at lower contract steps; one increase reflects the new part-time HR Director.

More budget details here…

Action: BOS voted 5–0 to advertise the preliminary 2026 budget for public review.

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2026 Road Paving Program

Budgeted: $850,000 (Highway Aid + General Fund). With 71.3 miles of township roads and a 20-year life, ~3.56 miles/year are needed to stay on cycle; 2026 proposes 2.34 miles (base + alternates). From 2019 through 2026 only an average of 2.8 miles per year of roads have been repaved.

Public Comments: Parking & Sewer Project

Reflecting a high level of civic engagement, residents voiced substantive concerns during the public comment periods. The discussions centered on the abrupt change in enforcement of a long-standing local practice and a deeply felt lack of transparency surrounding a major, and now contentious, public works project.

Newtown Gate Parking Enforcement

Resident Maria Pambo, representing the Newtown Gate community, voiced deep frustration over what she described as an arbitrary and poorly communicated change in parking enforcement that has disrupted a decades-long practice.

• Core Complaint: After 35-40 years of residents and their guests parking along Fountain Farm Lane, the police department recently began issuing tickets without any prior warning or communication to the homeowners' associations.
• Misinformation Correction: The speaker corrected a supervisor's previous public suggestion that the private parking lot of "the quarters" condominium association was available for public overflow parking, stating unequivocally that it is private property for residents and their guests only.
• Resolution Path: Board members acknowledged the issue and supervisor Mack proposed opening a dialogue with the community's homeowners' associations to explore potential solutions, with a Zoom meeting suggested as a possible forum.

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Multiple residents expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Newtown Joint Municipal Authority's handling of a proposed sewer plant project, citing a severe lack of transparency and significant financial repercussions.

• Central Issue of Transparency: Residents, including Valerie Mahalik and Tom McGonagal, condemned the sewer authority for what they described as a failure to engage the public. They specifically cited the expenditure of millions in ratepayer funds to acquire land for the project without any prior public meetings or input. Residents emphasized that the land was formally condemned in May 2024, but the public was not informed until a presentation on December 11, an eight-month gap that residents cited as a fundamental failure of communication.
• Financial Impact: Residents directly linked a 47% increase in their sewer rates to the authority's decision to purchase land for the project. The initial land cost of 9.5millionwaslaterincreasedto∗∗11.5 million** by a court-appointed board of view.
• Project Status Discrepancy: A notable point of contention emerged between the board's position and residents' perceptions. The Board Chair stated definitively that the project is "dead" and "will never be built." However, residents countered that the sewer authority has only voted to "stop work" and has not formally "canceled" the project, leaving its future ambiguous. Read “Sewer Authority at a ‘Juncture.’ Which Road Will It Take in the Future?”
• Board's Position and Next Steps: The board affirmed that it had sent a letter to the sewer authority formally opposing the plant. It was also announced that a vote on the future of the purchased land is scheduled for the next sewer authority meeting, which should provide a definitive resolution.

The passionate calls for accountability on the sewer project set a demanding tone for the remainder of the meeting, where the board turned to its formal decision-making responsibilities on zoning and fiscal appointments.

Planning Commission Report (Oct 21, 2025)

• Native Plants Ordinance: Language confirmed; forwarded to Supervisors.
• Residential additions/variances: 9 Clearview Dr.; 527 Linton Hill Rd (historic house preserved; addition + front-yard pool screened).
• 98 Upper Silver Lake Rd (Mini-Storage): Manager’s apartment remains contentious; recommendation that BOS take no position, with condition that any unit be for manager only.

Despite the fact that the Planning Commission recommended BOS take no action regarding the zoning variances requested by the storage facility applicant (see above), the BOS instructed the Solicitor to send a letter to the ZHB opposing the apartment and reminding the ZHB about the building height restrictions. The BOS was subsequently notified that the applicant is withdrawing its request for a variance to allow a manager’s apartment on the self-storage site. The client was reminded hat the Board of Supervisors also wishes to ensure that the proposed building does not exceed the maximum height requirement in the LI Zoning District.

• 473 Lower Dolington Rd: Preliminary land development with waivers (street design, lighting, sidewalks) while preserving existing historic house.

🎧 Deep Dive Podcast: “From Right Tree Species to Right Wall Sign Placement”

Solicitor’s Report & ZHB-Related Items

• Shawn Dorsey, 9 Clearview Dr: 2-story rear addition on non-conforming lot — move to ZHB supported.
• NAC wall sign, 120 Pheasant Run: Installed facing Woodbourne Rd (previous variance approved for Penns Trail). Size OK; placement not per prior approval. Commission voted 5–1 to recommend BOS take no position; Zoning Hearing Board (ZHB) to decide.
• Jonathan Arnold, 527 Linton Hill Rd: Historic façade retained; addition + pool/patio; recommended for approval.

Consent Agenda — Payment of Bills (Oct 22, 2025)

Total: $832,830.80 across all funds (+ $175,555.54 in transfers)

Top 10 Vendor Payments

September 2025 ESD Report

Newtown Fire & Emergency Services responded to 159 total incidents across multiple municipalities during September 2025. Chief Glenn Forsyth’s monthly report highlights the department’s community involvement, inspections, and training activities, as well as key operational statistic.

Fire Services Contract with Newtown Borough

Current Status of Negotiations 
The Township Manager confirmed that as of the meeting, no agreement is in place with Newtown Borough for fire services for 2026. An informal offer, based on a consensus reached during a recent Board of Supervisors work session, was relayed to the Borough but was met with a "negative response." This leaves the future of the long-standing fire service partnership in serious doubt.
Board Division on Path Forward 
The supervisors expressed differing views on how to proceed. Some members advocated for continuing negotiations and pursuing a viable solution until the last possible minute, emphasizing the public safety imperative. In contrast, another supervisor argued forcefully that since the Borough formally terminated the previous agreement, the Township should not continue to pursue a new one, particularly when it involves Newtown Township taxpayer-funded services being utilized in the Borough without compensation, with the supervisor pointedly noting, "Our taxpayer money is going to pay for our paid firefighters to enter into the burrow with no compensation."

The issue remains a top priority, with the expectation that a formal letter stating the township's final position will be sent to the Borough in November.
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Community Note: “No Kings” Demonstration

Supervisor Mack joined ~2,000 attendees on October 18, 2025, in Newtown/Langhorne for the peaceful “No Kings” event—reported as the largest single-day U.S. civil action since the first Earth Day. “I was at the first Earth Day demonstration in New York City,” claimed Mr. Mack, bookending two historic civic moments.